The present invention relates to a pusher switch light socket and, more particularly, to one that can prevent a lead-in wire connected and fixed to a lighting fixture from falling away or causing poor contact, thus ensuring a good electrical connection for safe use of the lighting fixture.
The construction of a prior art pusher light socket is illustrated in FIG. 1. The prior art socket is essentially comprised of a stand 1 and a socket 2. The stand 1, which is made of insulation materials, has screw terminals 11 and 12 fixed in position on both sides by locking screws to respectively connected and hold one-phase dual lead-in wires in place. A pusher switch 13 is provided on stand 1 to control turning on or off the lighting fixture. The light socket 2 is made of conductive material and provides a screw base to hold a light bulb in position.
Whereas the switching function of the prior art of the pusher switch light socket relies solely on the screw terminals to connect and hold lead-in wires in place, it is vulnerable to the problem that lead-in wire can fall away from its screw terminal in case the locking screw loosens or the lead-in wire is subjected to an improper pull. In addition, the lead-in wire may have poor contact with its screw terminal 11 or 12, causing intermittent currents which will affect the performance and even could result in a fire hazard due to an overloaded lead-in wire.
Another inventor has modified the prior art by providing terminal jacks 31 and 32 (as illustrated in FIG. 2) instead of the screw terminals 11 and 12 while retaining a stand 3, a light socket 4 and pusher switch 33. The terminal jacks 31 and 32 allow the insertion of plug-in lead-in wires 5. A spring-loaded clamping device inside each of the jacks holds a respective inserted terminal 51 of the lead-in wire 5 in place and prevents it from falling away, overcoming the falling away problem of sockets having lead-in wires held in position by locking screws. The pusher switch light socket illustrated in FIG. 2 has been respectively granted as a ROC Utility Patent (ROC Patent Publication of Sep. 21, 1990, Patent Application No. 78206100) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,381 (US Patent Publication of May 22, 1990). However, the terminal 51 to connect lead-in wire 5 of the modified socket is still at risk of falling away when the lead-in wire 5 is subject to improper pull, which will be directly conveyed into the terminal jacks 31 and 32 of the stand 3, even though terminals 51 of the lead-in wire 5 are inserted into terminal jacks 31 and 32.